So, I made the decision. There really is no point in me keeping any of the colour camera films that I have. They are sitting there in the freezer, gradually going past their expiration date and I’m just never going to use them.
So long, it’s been good to know you.
From a photographic quality aspect, I long ago decided that digital colour is better than film. OK, perhaps for those shooting medium format transparencies and wet printing or drum scanning, it isn’t. But that’s never going to be me. But, there surely isn’t a 35mm colour film and scanner combination out there that can compete with a digital sensor in a mid to high-end digital SLR or mirrorless camera? I know I’d choose my Nex-7 any day, let alone a full frame camera.
But what about the special ‘characteristics’ of different colour films? Hmmmm, by the time I’ve put my scans through Photoshop any apparent colour ‘signature’ or other advantage of Kodak Portra, or whatever, has been negated.
Also, I’m fed up of getting scratched films back from mini labs (and that includes C41 black and white also), but that’s another issue.
So, it’s black and white film only for now. I still find that it can give something special, that I don’t always get from digital. I even recently bought a bulk roll of Eastman Double-X and rolled my own. That, alongside digital (colour and black and white), is plenty to be getting on with.
